1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an roofing and the shingle attachment thereto. More particularly it relates to an device providing an uniform and more secure attachment of shingles to the hip, ridge, and barge rafter portions of shingle roofing which allows for easy in-line installation of such shingles with a user defined spacing and rise.
2. Prior Art
Modern roofing uses a layering system wherein a base of roofing felt is mounted upon a wood roof and then covered by layers of shingles. Shingles mounted in such a manner generally overlap each other with the bottom portion of each shingle mounted to cover the top portion of the next shingle below. This provides a system whereby water running down a roof continuously falls to the upper surface of the next shingle down below its attachment point of that shingle to the roofing felt and underlying roof structure. Since water continuously seeks its own level due to gravity, the water running down a roof never encounters the attache point of the shingle to the roof.
Most residential roofs are constructed with peaks to provide a slant which encourages this downward flow of water. Included in this construction to allow for both aesthetic and construction purposes, are ridges and hips where roofing surfaces on different planes intersect. Covering these intersections of planes of shingles at the hip and ridge effectively is imperative to achieving a water tight element resistant roof structure.
This is because the installation of shingles on a roof is conventionally done from the lowest point on the roof plane being covert to the highest point. Starting at the bottom of the roof plane the installer places rows of shingles. Each successive row of shingles installed covers the top of the prior row in the plane with the bottom portion of the next row higher. This as noted before insures an easy downward path for water whereby the water never encounters the attachment point of the shingle since they are all successively covered by the shingle above.
However, at the top of each plane of a conventional inclined roof, there is an intersection with the other plane or planes of the roof being covered. Such intersections at the peak height of the roof are the conventionally known as the ridge. Intersections of planes of shingles of differing angles at lower points on the roof are known as a hip. These hip and ridge intersections, being at the highest point on each plane of installed shingles, form an intersection point where a gap forms between the two or more intersecting planes of shingles.
To insure that the roof being covered attains a water tight seal, these intersections at the hip and ridge intersections must be adequately covered in a fashion that insures that water hitting the hip and ridge covering shingles proceeds downward on the differing planes of the roof line below. As is obvious, the shingles mounted at the hip and ridge cannot have additional rows mounted higher since they are at a peak already. Thus these shingles must overlap and cover the gap at the intersection of the planes of singles and also be securely mounted upon the hip or ridge.
Aesthetic concerns of modern roofing materials have presented an additional problem in mounting the shingles of hip, ridge and barge rafter intersections with the flat plane of the remainder of the roof. Modern shingles are laminated materials the most popular being fiberglass or asphalt laminated constructions. Such materials, while offering longevity to the roof surface, generally lack sufficient thickness to provide a visual quality of a rise above the adjacent shingle to give the desired visual depth aesthetic quality. Stated differently, the materials of asphalt fiberglass construction, are of such a thin and flat construction, they do not provide the aesthetic quality desired of many homeowners, who in the past have used wood shake or wood shingles which exhibit a stacking that appears thick from the shadows and actual thickness of such wood products.
Further, the shingles currently used to cap hip, ridge, and barge rafter intersections are of a different construction than those used upon the angled planes of the rest of the roof. This is dictated by differing purpose of hip, ridge and barge rafter singles which is to cover the gap formed between intersection planes of the adjacent area of the roof rather than to just cover the shingle below. Such a differing construction requires a different mounting technique to achieve the water proof fit and concurrently reach the aesthetic qualities required.
This differing mounting technique is much harder to master and requires a roofing worker of a higher skill level than a worker installing normal plane mounted shingles. This is because maintaining the hip and ridge mounted shingles in proper line for a water proof mount and achieving the proper line and proper rise for an aesthetically pleasing roof line, is as much an art as a trade. Thus, costs are increased to the roofing contractor due to the level of skill required on hip and ridge intersections, an jobs can become delayed due to lack of skilled help.
Additionally, because the contractor must use different configured shingles on the hip and ridge intersections on the roof planes, those shingles can come from differing dye lots from the shingles used upon the flat plane surfaces of the adjacent planes of shingle roof. Using different dye lots on colored roof is a ticket to aesthetic disaster in that homeowners are generally very particular about how the end result of a roofing job appears since most such roofs are projected to last decades. If the shingles used to cap the hip, ridge or barge rafter intersections are too different in color from the dye lot of the adjacent shingles used on the flat plane surfaces, the roof contractor may be forced to remove and reinstall shingles on the ridge and hip intersections that more closely match the shingles on the roof planes. In the often dim light of late evening and early morning construction work, differing dye lots of the shingles is a constant threat to the aesthetic success of the job at hand.
Finally, modern construction tools have given rise to the pneumatic nail gun which drives nails or staples or similar fastening devices through the shingle into the underlying surface using air pressure. Nails driven in such fashion can be literally driven right through the shingle when using thinner consistency shingles or shingles that are hot from exposure to the sun. Applicant""s device as herein disclosed, provides a means for cushioning nail impact and thus prevents nail piercing of the shingle used over Applicant""s device.
As such, a need is ever present for a device that would allow for easy in line installation of shingles upon the hip and ridge intersections of shingle covered roof planes.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,247,771 (Poplin) addresses the hip and ridge issue and teaches a ridge shingle unit which is folded back upon itself to achieve a thick appearance. However Poplin still requires the use of special shingles which can differ in dye lots and requires a more skilled laborer to install.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,271,201 (Noone) teaches a specially adapted shingle for covering hip and ridge roof plane intersections. However Noone teaches the use of a specialized shingle for this purpose and also requires a higher skilled laborer to install. The threat of dye lot mis-match as well as increased labor and material costs are not obviated by Noone.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,471,801 (Kupezyk) also teaches the use of a specially configured shingle for covering the intersections of roof planes at the hip and ridge. Kupezyk by design requires a special configuration dictating the use of shingles different from those on the planes adjacent to the hip and ridge. Dye lot mis match as well as increased labor costs for installation of the special shingles are thus still prevalent to Kupezyk.
As such, their exists a need for an easily and inexpensively manufactured apparatus, which can be easily attached to the hip and ridge portions of a shingled roof, which provides for the use of standard shingles as used in the adjacent planes thus lowering costs for special singles and avoiding dye lot mis-match. There exists and additional need for such a device to be easy to mount, and to provide a guide to the user which aids in the proper mount of the shingles of the hip and ridge, thus allowing for the use of lower skilled labor.
Applicant""s device is an easily manufactured and installed fastening apparatus for the attaching of shingles to the hip, ridge, and barge rafter edge portions of a shingled roof. It provides both a mounting guide to aid the user to achieve an in-line installation of conventional roofing shingles as well as a user determined rise of the shingles so mounted to achieve a desired visual depth or thickness to the roof. Applicant""s device further aids in maintaining a secure mount of the attached shingles in high winds and inclement weather. Optionally, it can function as an attic vent through venting of attic gasses to the atmosphere and thus help cool the attic and house.
The device consists of an elongated base strap made from flexible or elastic synthetic material such as plastic or fiberglass or similar flexible but strong material.
To the base strap is attached a series of in line xe2x80x9cTxe2x80x9d shaped shingle fasteners which provide a strong mount for shingles to the ridge, hip, or barge rafter shingles to the roof through their attachment to the base strap or in some cases to the roof, at a mounting end, to their attachment to the shingle at the other end. The shingle fasteners concurrently provide the desired rise of the upper shingle so mounted over the lower through a calculated thickness of the shingle attachment end to achieve a distance between the lower end of one shingle from the upper end of the next lower in line.
Further benefits include increased ventilation of the underlying roof by the calculated and even spacing of the shingles mounted on the shingle fasteners above the shingles mounted below. Additionally, a very secure mount of the shingles attached to the shingle fastener is provided by the shingle fasteners attachment at one end to the base strip, and the use of a hook fastener, adhesive or tar at the distal end, to hold down the gaped end of the shingles mounted on roof ridges, hips, and barge rafters.
Additional function and benefit is provided in cases where aesthetics require the use of shingles to cover the leading edge or barge rafter area of the roof. In an effort to achieve a visual depth of field while still using one dimensions shingles, roofers sometimes cover the leading edges or barge rafters of roofs. Since by design this area was not meant to be covered in such a fashion due to concerns for trapped water causing dry rot, using the shingle fasteners to achieve increased venting and a strong mount helps prevent water damage by allowing built up water to evaporate through the gaps.
Further utility is provided by Applicant""s device by through the provision of a means for shock abortion and dampening of the force of nails driven through shingles by high powered pneumatic nail guns or overly zealous workers with a hard driving hammer.
An object of this invention is provide a device which will provide secure mounting of conventional shingles to the hip, ridge, and barge rafter areas of roofs.
Another object of this invention is to provide additional utility by providing a device which will maintain spacing of shingles mounted on the roof and the gaps between overlapping shingles on a roof thus decreasing both the amount and the skill level of labor required to install shingles on a roof.
A further object of this invention is to provide a secure mount to hip, ridge, and barge mounted shingles to better resist damage from wind and wind driven rain and snow.
An Additional object of the is invention is to provide a secure mount to the lower ends of shingles attached to the shingle fasteners using adhesive provided on the mount or providing an aperture for on site application of hot tar or other conventional adhesive.
Another object of this invention is the provision of an easy to use device to maintain the shingles mounted thereon in a relatively straight line without the need for drawing lines on the adjacent roof or other registration methods being employed.
An additional object of this inventions is to allow roofers to use a single dimensioned shingle on both the planer area of the roof and to cap the hip, ridge, and barge rafter areas of the roof and thus forgo the use of more expensive and possible discolored specialty shingles currently used for this purpose.
A still further object of this invention is the provision of a dampener for high velocity or hard hit nails to prevent piercing of the shingle they are driven through.
Further objects of the invention will be brought out in the following part of the specification, wherein detailed description is for the purpose of fully disclosing the invention without placing limitations thereon.